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Comparing LensCherry and Facetune. AI photo generation versus photo retouching. What each tool actually does, pricing, and which one fits your needs.
LensCherry Team
AI Photo Experts • Updated March 2026
TL;DR: Facetune retouches existing photos (smooth skin, reshape features, whiten teeth). LensCherry generates entirely new photos from reference selfies. Facetune makes your current photos look a bit better. LensCherry creates professional-quality photos you never had. Different tools, different purposes.
Let's get this straight up front because the confusion is real.
Facetune is a photo retouching app. You upload an existing photo, then use tools to smooth skin, whiten teeth, reshape facial features, remove blemishes, adjust lighting, and apply filters. It's basically Photoshop for your phone, focused on making selfies look more polished.
LensCherry is an AI Creative Studio. You upload 10 to 20 reference selfies, it creates an AI model of your face, and then you generate completely new photos in different settings, outfits, poses, and lighting. The output is a brand new image, not a retouched version of something you already had.
One edits. The other creates. That's the core difference.
Facetune gives you a toolkit for touching up photos:
The results range from subtle touch-ups to full-on uncanny valley territory, depending on how heavy-handed you get. Light retouching can genuinely improve a photo. Heavy retouching creates that "Facetuned" look that everyone can spot.
Here's the thing about Facetune that nobody talks about in these comparisons: it can only improve what's already there. And it has real limits.
If your photo has bad lighting, Facetune can brighten it. But it can't recreate the soft, directional light of a professional studio. If you're wearing a wrinkled t-shirt, Facetune can smooth your skin but can't change your outfit. If you're in your messy bedroom, Facetune can blur the background but can't transport you to a sleek office.
Retouching is cosmetic. It's the equivalent of putting on makeup versus getting a professional photoshoot. Both have their place, but they produce very different results.
And there's the uncanny valley problem. Heavy retouching looks fake. People can tell. Overly smooth skin with no texture, perfectly symmetrical features, impossibly white teeth. It undermines trust instead of building it, especially on professional platforms like LinkedIn or dating apps where authenticity matters.
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LensCherry doesn't touch your existing photos. Instead, it uses them as references to understand what you look like, then generates new images from scratch.
The process:
Because LensCherry generates photos rather than editing them, the results look naturally professional. There's no retouching artifacts, no uncanny smoothness, no obvious editing. The lighting looks real because the AI creates it from scratch rather than trying to fix bad lighting after the fact.
| Feature | LensCherry | Facetune |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 15 credits (3 photos) | Free with ads (limited tools) |
| Entry plan | $9/mo (Starter, 100 credits) | $9.99/week (VIP Weekly) |
| Annual plan | $29/mo (Pro, 400 credits) | $69.99/year (VIP Annual) |
| One-time option | $99 Lifetime (500 credits) | None |
| What you get | New AI-generated photos | Photo retouching tools |
| Requires good photos | No (creates new ones) | Yes (can only edit existing) |
| Professional headshots | Yes |
Notice Facetune's pricing structure. $9.99 per week adds up to roughly $520 per year if you're on the weekly plan. Even the annual plan at $69.99/year is more than LensCherry's Starter plan at $108/year, and you get fundamentally different value. LensCherry also offers a Lifetime option at $99 for 500 credits, which is a one-time purchase.
Use code LAUNCH50 for 50% off your first LensCherry payment.
With Facetune: Take a selfie, smooth skin, brighten eyes, blur the background. You get a slightly better selfie. It still looks like a selfie.
With LensCherry: Upload selfies, generate a professional headshot with studio lighting, a clean background, and proper framing. You get something that looks like you hired a photographer.
Winner for headshots: LensCherry, and it's not close. For more options, see our best AI headshot generators in 2026 roundup.
With Facetune: Touch up your best existing photos. Remove a blemish, smooth skin, brighten teeth. The photos look a bit more polished.
With LensCherry: Generate new photos in different settings and outfits. Fill gaps in your photo lineup (no full-body shot? no travel photo? no dressy photo?). Get variety without asking friends to photograph you.
Winner for dating: LensCherry if you lack good photos. Facetune if you already have solid photos that just need minor polish.
With Facetune: Quick touch-ups before posting Instagram stories or selfies. Useful for small, fast edits.
With LensCherry: Generate content-ready photos for planned posts. Better for creators who need variety and consistent quality.
Winner for social: Depends on your workflow. Facetune for spontaneous posts. LensCherry for planned content.
Facetune is fine for what it does. Quick retouching on a phone. It's been around forever, and millions of people use it for a reason.
But it doesn't solve the fundamental problem most people have: they don't have good photos to begin with. Retouching a bad photo gives you a slightly less bad photo. It doesn't give you a professional headshot.
LensCherry solves the root problem. Instead of polishing what you have, it creates what you need. If you've been Facetuning the same selfies for months and still aren't happy with the results, that's a sign you need new photos, not more retouching.
Try LensCherry free with 15 credits. No credit card, no commitment. See if the generated photos beat your best retouched selfies. For most people, they will.
| No (retouches, not creates) |
